


In The Guise Of A Dog

by OhNovi



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Iron Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies), Thor - All Media Types
Genre: (Sorry Pepper), And then he finds out, Dog!Loki, Loki & Tony Stark Friendship, Loki Does What He Wants, Loki-centric, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Shared secrets and mischief ensues, Tony Being Tony, Tony and Pepper aren't together, Tony has no idea Loki is this dog, Tony-centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-12
Updated: 2017-10-12
Packaged: 2019-01-16 08:36:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12339216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OhNovi/pseuds/OhNovi
Summary: Loki flees Asgard and hides on Midgard as a large black dog. However, his plans to stay hidden in plain sight go awry when he learns that living with famous Avenger, Tony Stark, is more trouble than he realized.





	In The Guise Of A Dog

“I will find him, mother. I  _must_.”  
   
“What of Jane?”  
   
“I do not wish to leave her for long, but finding Loki when he does not wish it, _will_  take time. I have sent word to her and to the Avengers of my intended absence.”  
   
A long pause.  
   
“Do you still plan to search alone?”  
   
“I do. To bring the warriors would announce my pursuit. I will travel quietly, as he does, and I will go tonight.” A brush of fabric and the sounds of an embrace.  
   
“I will keep you in my thoughts.” A whisper “Bring him home.”  
   
From the far side of a closed door, thin lips curled into a smile with far too many teeth.  
   
   
—  
   
_“Sir, there is a…”_ Jarvis paused “delivery  _for you at reception.”_  
   
“J, if I’m late for this meeting too, Pep is going to kill me.” Her threats had been getting steadily more dangerous and after the  _last one_ , he was starting to take her seriously. He fiddled with his cuffs, shifting the fabric impatiently so the folds were even. “Tell them to send it up, but I’m not signing.”  
   
_“I have already informed Miss Potts of your delay.”_ Said the voice. _“If I may Sir,”_  
   
Tony looked at the ceiling, it wasn’t like Jarvis to interject when he was in a hurry. “What’s on your mind?”  
   
_“It may be prudent to visit reception and retrieve the delivery in person before attending your meetings this afternoon. I am certain that Miss Potts will be understanding in this situation.”_  
   
Eyebrows raised, suspicious. “Have you got a hitman waiting for me downstairs J?”  
   
_“Not today sir.”_ Jarvis assured him.  
   
Tony smiled, grabbed his phone and strode across the living room. “Alright, this better be good.” He stepped into the elevator and pulled up a screen, scrolling through his email impatiently. The light of floor one illuminated on its own and the box descended quickly.  
   
Seven messages from R &D seeking approval or feedback on current projects, flight confirmation from Pepper for next month’s trip to Glasgow, a message from Bruce asking for a laser cutter in his lab, and six emails between various Avengers members trying to pin him down for training, briefing and boring shit he didn’t have time for. Delete, delete, delete.  
   
“J, ask Bruce for specs on the CNC machine he wants and order what we need for it, we’ll build something custom for his space. He knows he can just ask you for this right?” The elevator doors chimed and parted.  
   
_“I believe he feels more comfortable asking you directly, sir.”_ Came Jarvis’ voice from his phone.  
   
Tony suppressed a chuckle, Bruce was always like that. He never took advantage of Tony, even though the whole team had moved into the tower and each was given free rein to do as they pleased with the floor and facilities provided to them. He never assumed or pressed his favour, always letting Tony know when he wanted to add something new or build a specialized tool and inviting him down to experiment when that something was installed. Tony counted himself lucky to call the scientist his friend.  
   
He pocketed the screen and stepped out into reception. It was an open space, empty of people save him and a woman who sat primly behind a long desk. Warm light was bright through the windows and assaulting compared to the drawn curtains of his penthouse. He pulled a pair of amber shades from his front pocket and unfolded them.  
   
He approached the receptionist’s desk and leaned casually against it, drumming his fingers on the wood.   
   
“You have a package for me, dear?”  
   
“Good afternoon, Mister Stark. It’s just over there. He was waiting outside the front door this morning,” She gestured across the room to a small seating area.   
   
In the place of a box, which Tony had been expecting, there was a large black dog.  
   
It lounged, spread dominantly across a couch and watched them both with what Tony could only describe as a glare. It was lean and angular, with its front paws crossed over one another and long folded ears which flicked in annoyance. Its fur was short and sleek and glossy except in a few places where it was feathery and curled. It was more like a sculpture than an animal.   
   
“This was tied to the collar.” The receptionist broke his reverie but Tony didn’t look away. She pushed a small square of paper across the desk. He grabbed at it blindly, holding it in a way that he could still watch the creature in his periphery. The scripted note read :  _For Tony Stark._ He turned it over. A cheerful white and orange logo greeted him, ASPCA.  
   
The dog unfolded itself slowly, standing on the leather of the sofa and scrutinizing Tony from across the room.  
   
“So the package is this dog?” He could barely take care of himself. No one who knew him would trust Tony to take care of another living creature. Hell, he didn’t even have plants. “Who thought it was a good idea to send me a dog?”  
   
“Since he arrived before anyone else, I couldn’t speak to the representative.”  
   
 Tony sighed. Getting gifts from companies wasn’t uncommon, hell even Stark Industries was known to send a fruit basket now and then, but a dog? Was this some scheme to increase adoption rates? He pulled his phone out and swept his finger across the screen, holding it in front of the note and snapping a photo.

“Great. I’m guessing you don’t know its name either?”  
   
She shook her head “No tags”  
   
Tony chucked the note in the trash bin. “Alright. Let's go, Padfoot. You’re coming with me until I can figure out what to do with you.” If he hurried he might still make the team meeting without pissing off Pepper. He strode back across the room and pressed the elevator button twice.   
   
The dog watched him, unmoving.   
   
The elevator chimed and opened.   
   
“That means you Fido unless you’d like to go back to the shelter?”  
   
It shifted from foot to foot, seemingly tentative. It glanced between the outer doors and Tony before giving a chuff and striding off the couch towards him. They both stepped into the lift and it shut.  
Tony pulled off his glasses and gave the dog a look over. He got a sidelong glance in return. It kept its distance and seemed to be inspecting him as much as he was inspecting it. Was that normal? Hell if he knew. When was the last time he had been this close to a dog? He couldn’t remember. He never had a dog as a kid. Where were you even supposed to keep a dog? He couldn’t just drop it off at the penthouse. The last thing he needed was to come back to whatever mess it was capable of creating, and something about those dark eyes promised a mess. He knew that look. He saw it in the mirror sometimes. This dog was  _smart._ It watched him far too close to be anything but.

“Right, so you’re coming with me to a few meetings today. Just sit down out of the way and don’t make any noise. After we finish I can see about who to give you too.” The dog lifted its lips and bared shiny white teeth in a silent threat. “ _What?_  Don’t give me that face. This isn’t some kind of Turner and Hooch situation where we become best friends. I have bigger things on my plate than dog sitting.” Tony leaned back against the far wall of the elevator. “Maybe Pepper will know someone who- _Oooh_  Pepper! Pepper would  _love_  a dog, she’s always talking about how stressed she is. Okay, pit stop. J, where is the lovely Miss Potts?”

_“She is currently ascending the stairwell to floor twelve where she intends to meet and escort you to your meeting.”_

“Convenient but scary. She’s like that a lot” He said the latter to the dog. “How late am I to that?”

_“The meeting is scheduled to begin in seventy-three seconds.”_

“Could you throw that countdown onto my phone?”

_“I doubt it will save you, sir.”_

“Have I ever missed a deadline?”

_”Would you like a comprehensive list, sir?”_

“Don’t talk me down in front of the kid.” 

_“The data has been delivered to your screen.”_

“That’s more like it.” 

Tony pulled out his phone and held it up just in time for the doors to chime and open, revealing a gently dishevelled Pepper Potts with pink cheeks. She opened her mouth to speak but Tony interrupted her, pointing to the screen. “Ahh, not late yet!” 

She scowled.

“Tony, so help me, if you do not run to that meeting I will extend our trip overseas by a week just to spite you.” Not the strongest threat she’d made in recent memory, but to her credit, Tony guessed she’d just run up five flights of stairs in stilettos just to catch him. 

“Twenty-two seconds of your time first.” He strode out and the dog followed on his heels, placing the billionaire between him and Pepper, who gaped at him soundlessly.

“A dog!”

“Gold star!”

“You’re late and you have a dog.”

“I’m not late yet.” he paused for dramatic effect “It’s for you.” He grinned.

“What’s for me? Her?” Pepper pointed at it.

“I think he’s a he. Wait.” Tony dipped down and looked between the black dog’s legs, alarming it enough to let out a hoarse bark. He stood and swept invisible dust from his jacket. “Definitely he. _Wow._ And yes! _He_ is a gift for you, from me. I hope that he makes you happy. Now if you’ll excuse me-“

“Stop right there.” 

Tony paused mid-step

“I can’t own a dog Tony, my apartment is a postage stamp and I’m far too busy.”

“You wouldn’t have that problem if you just moved into the tower. Everyone else is.”

“Exactly. Believe it or not, I actually like to get away from all this once in a while, and getting away doesn’t include sweeping little black hairs off my floor.”

“I hear dogs are great stress reducers.”

Pepper smiled coldly “My stress would be reduced if you went to your appointments on time Tony.” 

He held up his phone where the timer counted down. “I’m not the one keeping me from it, I would already be there if you weren’t rejecting my thoughtful present.”

“I saw the ASPCA email, Tony.” So there _had_ been an email!

“Alright alright, I’ll find someone else to take him. You think Happy would?”

“He’s a cat person.”

“How do you know that about him?”

“We have conversations like adults Tony, sometimes we even do it while eating at a table.”

He wrinkled his nose “that sounds boring.”

“Go to the the meeting Tony, take your dog with you.”

“Fine. You’re breaking my heart though Pep. Thought I could count on you to take one for the team.”

“That’s your job, Tony. I just run the company.” Her face melted into a genuine smile and he returned it before rolling his eyes half-heartedly.

“Alright. Let's go Lucky. Maybe Cap wants a sidekick.” 

Pepper and _Lucky_ shared a look before he turned and followed Tony, trotting gracefully alongside him with a clatter of tiny nails.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and welcome to the end of chapter one!
> 
> Thank you very very much for reading, it always makes me smile to see views, kudos and (especially) comments, which I always reply to!


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